Schaumburg High School marching band rehearses parade - right in the neighborhood

Drivers didn't seem to mind the congestion in the neighborhood west of Schaumburg High School on Friday afternoon as the school marching band rehearsed for the annual Septemberfest parade.

The band has been meeting for rehearsals for only about one week and took to the streets Friday, to the delight of many residents who watched from porches and the sidewalk, many recording the event with cellphones.

Parent volunteers hustled through the rows of musicians in bright T-shirts and squirted water into their mouths as they marched. The route covered about the same distance as the Septemberfest parade route.

Septemberfest is an outdoor festival of entertainment that includes live music on three stages, an arts and crafts show, a carnival midway, the Taste of Schaumburg and fireworks. The free, three-day festival fills Labor Day weekend at the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center Grounds at 101 Schaumburg Court.

The parade starts at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 5. The two-hour parade traditionally features about 100 entries and starts at Wise Road and goes north on Summit Street to Stock Port Lane.